Solar Flares
by Dragon-Overlord-Yuu
Summary: Apollon always thought Cassandra was the love of his life. When he learns of her betrayal, he loses control of his god powers in a fit of anger. He accidentally burns Tsukito, who was trying to reach out to him, and leaves him severely scarred. Riddled with guilt, Apollon isolates himself out of fear of hurting anyone else. He has no hope of graduation at this point, but...


**This is mostly based on Apollon's love route in the game, it's just basically Tsukito taking Yui's place. So you might wanna go check out the translations by sweetremiks on tumblr or else a lot of this shit ain't gonna make sense.**

 **man, Apollon went through so much shit in the game, I just wanna wrap the poor motherfucker up in warm blankets and feed him cookies.**

 **oh, I forgot to warn you: There will be smut. Don't say I didn't warn you.**

* * *

Tsukito had this strange feeling for a while.

Like something was off.

Something was very off about a certain sun god.

The others hadn't noticed. Apollon was a surprisingly good actor, hiding whatever he's hiding under that bright, beaming smile of his. Tsukito may not look like it, but he was quite perceptive, so he able to pick up on the fact that Apollon wasn't his usual self. Far, far from it.

Apollon was getting more visibly distressed as graduation slowly crept up on them. He still hadn't broken his shackle, which came off as a little strange to Tsukito. If anyone seemed to understand humans the most, it would be Apollon. So why can't he graduate? What was he doing wrong?

Nevertheless, Apollon would brush it off and insist he was fine, even though the smile he put on was painfully fake.

Then one day, he just quit the student council and threw himself into his studies, putting all his effort into learning everything he could about humans.

Despite all his efforts, Apollon still couldn't graduate.

* * *

It was an accident. He wasn't meant to know this.

They planned a surprise party for Apollon in hopes of cheering him up. Tsukito was just heading back from the school store with an armful of supplies when he passed by the throne room. The door was open just a crack.

He knows he shouldn't be nosy, but curiousity got the best of him.

"...Apollon-san...to graduate..." It didn't take long for Tsukito to recognize Yui's voice, "Why can't he graduate? I want to know!"

There was a brief pause, but Tsukito could feel the tension in the air.

"I had not planned to tell you this, but it appears I cannot avoid it." He hears Zeus let out a sigh of defeat, "You know of Cassandra, yes?"

Tsukito felt a pang in his chest. He's heard Apollon talk about her countless of times. He remembers the way Apollon would say her name so lovingly.

Cassandra...Tsukito grew to hate that name, but he didn't know why.

"In the near future, Apollon will grant the power of prophecy to Cassandra. He will grant a power meant for gods to a human."

"Is...is that allowed?" Yui asked.

"It is fine if a god can shoulder that burden, but that is impossible for Apollon." Zeus explained, "That fool...using such a method to bind himself to Cassandra."

"What happens then? After he gives her that power?"

"That woman will recieve an incomplete power and become able to predict her own future. She will predict the demise of her love with Apollon and their destiny together disappears. Cassandra will not take that well."

"But he gave her that power so that they'd be together..."

"Who would want to continue a love with no future? They would only hurt each other." Zeus said, "When Apollon learns of this cruel fate, he cannot bare the sorrow. He will be driven mad during the Trojan War and annihilate many humans."

Tsukito suddenly felt chills all over his neck. Someone as gentle as Apollon would not be capable of causing so much suffering to so many humans. He shouldn't be. Tsukito didn't want to believe that.

"Then when Apollon returns from the war, he will deeply regret his actions and will be doomed to eternal suffering. That is why I brought him to this school in the first place. If he can still hold good favor toward humans, then even if he is betrayed by one, he will not have to bear that pain. But if he cannot, I will erase his memories and have him start over."

Tsukito froze in his place. All those times they all spent together this past year, those precious memories...will be wiped clean if Apollon can't graduate. He can't let that happen.

He quickly leaves before they noticed his presence. He's heard too much.

* * *

"Tsuki-Tsuki, is something wrong? Is something the matter?"

The moon god looked up from his desk to see Apollon standing over him, cheerful as ever.

He shook his head, "No, nothing's wrong."

' _You should be worrying about yourself..._ '

"Come on, Tsuki-Tsuki, something is clearly bothering you. You can talk to me, I'll listen. I will."

"Uhm...let's talk about you, then." Tsukito said, changing the subject.

"Is that what you're worried about?" Apollon asked, "No need to worry about me. I'm doing just fine."

"You haven't earned the right to graduate. Do you call that fine?"

Apollon seems taken aback by Tsukito's blunt statement, "I'm...working on it. I'm really trying my best, I just don't know why it's not doing anything..." He sighed, "I can't wait to go home back to Cassandra. I miss her."

Tsukito subconciously balled his hand up into a tight fist at the sound of that name, nearly crushing his pen.

"You should be working hard too since you haven't broken your shackle either." Apollon said, "Well, class is about to start so I'll talk to you later, Tsuki-Tsuki."

As Apollon turned to leave, he feels a gentle tug on his blazer, "Tsuki-Tsuki...?"

"I..." Tsukito didn't know how to finish his sentence. He wanted to tell Apollon everything he heard the other day. About Cassandra. About his horrible fate. But he just couldn't bring himself to. He didn't want to add to Apollon's list of problems. He just couldn't do that to Apollon.

"D-don't be afraid to ask us for help if this is too much for you to handle. You're not alone. We're all here for you. We all want to help you. You need to know that."

Apollon just stared at him in confusion, "That...was kinda random, but I appreciate sentiment."

* * *

"Tsukito-san, are you alright?"

"Everyone seems to be asking me that today..." Tsukito said, "Do I look unwell?"

Yui shook her head, "No, it's more like you have something on your mind. Would you like to talk about it?"

Without even thinking about it, he blurted out, "I overheard you and Zeus Keraunos talking the other day...about Apollon Agana Belea."

Thank the gods the classroom was empty with only just the two of them.

There was a long pause before Yui replied, "Oh...you did? How much did you hear?"

"Most of it...about Cassandra...and the Trojan War if I remember correctly." Tsukito tears his gaze away from Yui, afraid he might have done something wrong by eavesdropping.

"Tsukito-san, I'm not mad, just...did you tell him anything?"

"I didn't...I couldn't." Tsukito said, shaking his head.

Yui let out a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness. Just keep this a secret between us for now, okay? Can you do that, Tsukito-san?"

Tsukito nodded, "I understand."

"Well, let's go. We don't want to keep Balder-san waiting. The student council has gotten quite difficult now that Apollon-san is gone."

Before Yui could leave however, she felt Tsukito grab for her arm, "Tsukito-san...?"

"Yui Kusanagi, may I ask you something?" Tsukito asked.

"Of course! What's wrong?"

"Lately, I've been feeling something very strange...something I can't explain. I thought you might know about it."

"What kinds of things have you been feeling?"

"For example, whenever I'm anywhere near Apollon Agana Belea, I feel like my heart is pounding against my chest. And I always find myself thinking about him and then when I do, my stomach feels like it's fluttering, and when he mentions Cassandra...it doesn't hurt me physically, but at the same time, I feel like it does." Tsukito explained, "Am I sick?"

"Tsukito-san, could you be...in love with Apollon-san?" Yui asked, "Because everything you just described sounds a lot like that."

"Love?"

Yui lets out a quiet little laugh, "You're definitely head-over-heels in love with Apollon-san, if I didn't know any better."

"He already has someone he loves...if what I feel is love, then, it really doesn't matter at this point."

"Don't say that, Tsukito-san, it's never too late." Yui said, "Let Apollon-san know how you feel and maybe he can...that's it!"

"What?"

"If Apollon can love someone else, then maybe he won't grieve as bad when Cassandra leaves. It's perfect!"

Tsukito shook his head, "I'd rather not."

"Why not?"

"I don't know how I feel. I don't know if it can even be considered love. Secondly, he is so madly in love with Cassandra, he'll most likely reject me immediately."

"But..." Yui's face fell in disappointment, unable to come up with a solid argument.

"I don't ask for much, but can you please keep all of this between us?" Tsukito asked, getting up from his seat, "I just need some time to think about this."

* * *

Apollon wasn't in class today.

Tsukito took notes diligently like he'd always do, occasionally glancing at Apollon's empty desk. It was then he noticed Yui's desk was also empty.

What could've happened to those two?

Suddenly the ground began to shake violently. Some of the students screamed and took cover under their desks.

"What the hell?!" Takeru yelled.

"Hell is right, look!" Dionysus pointed out the window.

From a distance there was a bright red flash before the area around it went up in flames.

Hades stared out the window in disbelief, "This flame...it can't be...Apollon..."

Upon hearing the sun god's name, Tsukito rushed out of the classroom without a second thought.

"Anii!" Takeru called out to his brother, but it was too late.

Tsukito ran out the school building and followed the source of the fire. It seemed to be coming from the beach. Tsukito's endurance wasn't as good as Takeru's, but he was sprinting through the woods as full speed without even faltering once.

When he got to the beach, he was suddenly met with an intense wave of heat.

There he was. The sun god in his true form. Flames blazed around him, growing in intensity along with his wrath. So much so that the sand beneath him had turned into glass.

"Yui Kusanagi!"

"Tsukito-san?! What are you doing here?" She was struggling not to be blown back by the powerful winds.

"How did this happen?"

"I told Apollon-san about Cassandra's betrayal. I tried to reason with him, but he didn't take it well, so he..." Her sentence trailed off as she glanced at what had become of Apollon. "What do we do?"

"Watch out!" Tsukito threw himself at Yui to shield her from the flames coming at her, "Aghh...!"

"Tsukito-san!"

"Are you alright, Yui Kusanagi?" Tsukito asked.

"I should be asking you that! Your back is..."

"I am a god. This is nothing..." This is where he'd be lying...he was pretty sure that blast alone had just burned through a few layers of skin, but he's not really worrying about that right now.

Tsukito thought for a moment. How do you calm down a raging sun god? He looked at Apollon, making eye contact with him. Tsukito could feel the anger and hatred in his eyes, but behind all that was a cry for help. Tsukito could see the several millenias worth of pain and loneliness Apollon had to live through.

It was then it dawned on him. This isn't the first time he was put in this kind of situation. He knows what he has to do now.

"Yui Kusanagi, please stay back."

"W-what are you...?" Yui sees Tsukito beginning to make his way towards Apollon, "No! Don't! Tsukito-san!"

Tsukito paid no mind to Yui's screams, nor the fact that his clothes were singed from the intense heat alone. "Apollon Agana Belea...please listen to me..."

"Leave me alone! Just go away!" Apollon screamed. "Do you wanna burn?!"

Tsukito continued to approach him, "I know you're upset, but please stop this."

"Shut up! You don't know how I feel! You don't know anything!"

Tsukito inched a little closer. He was surrounded in flames; he could barely breathe in this heat, "Maybe I don't, but what I do know is that this isn't you. You would never hurt anyone, let alone a human. You make that mistake during the Trojan War, you'll have to shoulder that sin forever. I won't let that happen. Not ever." He stretched his hand out towards the sun god, his fingertips charred black in the process, "So maybe this one human betrays you, but it doesn't mean all of them are going to. And I said before, you have us. We're all here for you."

Apollon laughs bitterly, "Sounds like something Cassandra would say. You're all just going to abandon me too, huh? I can't trust anyone anymore. Everyone pretends to care until they don't. Even you."

The flames ate through Tsukito's clothes, he could feel the scorching heat on his skin. He was badly burnt at this point, but could hardly bring himself to care, "Fine, if you really think that, then you can just kill me."

"Wha...?"

"I don't care what happens to me, I just want you to be able to change your future and if I have to die for that happen, so be it." Tsukito said.

The flames seemed to have calmed just a bit, "Why...why would you go that far for me?"

Tsukito hesitated before giving him an answer. He thought back to that strange fluttering feeling in his chest whenever Apollon smiled or was just being his cheerful, bubbly self, the unexplained desire to be close to him all the time, and the pang of jealousy he'd feel whenever Apollon would talk about Cassandra...

"...because I love you."

Even if he's probably on the verge of death right now, he still wants to convey his feelings. He wanted to let everything out so he'd die without any regrets.

Tsukito could barely stand now. He could only manage a few steps closer before collapsing into Apollon's arms, "I...I didn't have a purpose in life other than my duties as Tsukuyomi...but coming here...and meeting you...it's the best thing to ever happen to me. You made me smile and laugh for the first time in my life." His voice cracks a little. Tears well up in his eyes, quickly evaporating from the heat, "I'm so happy I met you, so even if you don't return my feelings, even if you hate me, please...be happy. That is all I ask."

He feels something warm and tingling around his wrist. Tsukito sees his shackle glow a bright white before crumbling into nothing. He did it. He can graduate now.

"No...I can't do that to you." The rest of the flames died down as Apollon reverted back into a human, "I...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...really am an idiot, aren't I?"

Tsukito held Apollon with what little strength he had left, "You are. Honestly, what are we going to do with you?"

The injuries suddenly caught up to Tsukito. His vision starting to get darker. He didn't feel any pain. He just didn't feel anything.

Apollon panics as Tsukito went limp in his arms, "Tsuki-Tsuki? Tsuki-Tsuki!"

Everything else was a blur as Tsukito kept fading in and out of consciousness. He could barely hear Yui and Apollon calling out to him.

"Tsukito-san, hang in there!"

"Tsuki-Tsuki!"

Then everything went black.

This...this was fine.

* * *

Apollon paced back in forth outside the infirmary, his behavior getting more panicked and erratic by the second. His breathing was uneven and he would occasionally pull at his hair.

"Apollon-san, calm down."

"How can I?! Did you not see how badly burnt he was? He was barely breathing when we brought him here! What if I actually..." He choked back a sob when he found he wasn't able to finish the sentence.

"He'll be alright." Yui said.

"How do you know that?"

Yui opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't utter a single sound for a while, "I...I don't know."

Apollon hears multiple footsteps coming from down the hall. "Apollon! Kusanagi!" Hades called out to them.

"Everyone..."

"What happened?" Balder asked. "We saw this huge explosion and then Totsuka-san left the classroom all of a sudden. Where is he, by the way?"

Apollon hesitantly gestured the the infirmary doors, "I-in there..."

"Why would he...what happened to Anii?" Takeru slowly stepped towards Apollon, "Apollon...what did you do...?"

Apollon backs away from him, his gut twisting as he struggled to figure out what to tell him, "I'm sorry, Take-Take, I...I didn't mean to...It was an accident, I swear..."

"What was an accident? Apollon...tell me what you did and I promise I won't get mad." Takeru puts his hands on Apollon's shoulders to keep him from backing away any further.

"NO!" Apollon snaps at Takeru, pushing him away with a enough force to send him to the floor, "Don't touch me!"

"What the hell? What's gotten into you?"

"I don't want to hurt you too...I just...I'm sorry."

Before anyone could say anything else, Apollon ran away. He didn't know where, but he just wanted to get away. Once they see what he did to Tsukito, they're all bound to hate him anyway.

* * *

"...so that's what happened."

Yui nodded, confirming everything she had just explained, "Yes..."

"Are you alright, though, Yui-san?"

"Yes, I'm fine for the most part. Besides, Tsukito-san's got it worse than me."

They all sat in the infirmary in silence, unsure of what to do or say next. The tension in the room was so thick, Tsukito could probably feel it in his sleep.

"I don't particularly blame Apollon for how he reacted." Hades said, "He loves everybody, but they only loved him for what he can provide: prophecies and such. As a result, Apollon has always been lonely. I guess now it finally got to him." He glanced at Takeru who was sitting at his brother's bedside, "Takeru, I'm not asking for you to forgive him, I mean, he did overreact...a bit." Hades cringed at his word choice. "A bit" was a severe understatement. "But I'm pretty sure he didn't mean to hurt Tsukito. He wouldn't bring himself to hurt anyone on purpose. That's just how he is."

The sea god shook his head, "No, he had every right to be upset. I want to forgive him, because I know Anii would." He grasps Tsukito's bandaged hand tightly, "Anii saved Apollon. Like he saved me back then."

"So what do we do now?" Balder asked.

"The least we can do is pray for Tsukito-san's recovery." Yui said, "And we need to support Apollon-san as much as we can."

* * *

Apollon woke up on a cold marble floor. What was he doing?

He notices the various plants that surrounded him. Oh right, he wound up running into the greenhouse and somehow fell alseep there. He hated this place, but he decided to hide here out of all places. This place brought so many bad memories for him. All those times the people he loved turned into plants just to get away from him. So why did he come here? To punish himself? Probably.

Looking out the glass windows, Apollon notices how dark it was outside. It must have been so late at night. The others must be worried about him. At least, that's what Apollon wants to think.

' _They're not even looking for me_ '

Deciding he has had enough of this place, he gets up and leaves the greenhouse, completely prepared for whatever happens upon his return. Whatever the others decide to do, he deserves it.

* * *

The academy was empty by the time Apollon returned. The lights were out in the dorms as far as Apollon could tell. Everyone was asleep.

Maybe he should at least try to make up for what he did.

Apollon turns on his heel and headed towards the school building. Thankfully, the doors were unlocked so Apollon could get inside without a problem. He wandered through the dark hallways of the school until he reached the infirmary. Apollon stood in front of the doors for a few moments, mentally preparing himself for what was behind them. With a deep breath, he tentatively reached for the doorknob.

It was quiet, save for the sound of Tsukito's soft breathing. The room was illuminated only by a single candle, but the dim lighting was enough for Apollon to see what happened to Tsukito. The moon god was almost completely wrapped up in bandages. Only the left half of his face was uncovered as it seemed it didn't take any damage. Usamaro was curled up on Tsukito's belly, fast asleep. Clearly he must have been worried about his master.

Apollon sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at what he could see of Tsukito's face. It was so peaceful even though he's probably in a lot of pain right now. "I'll make the pain go away, Tsuki-Tsuki...I'll make it go away." Apollon whispered as he ran his fingers through Tsukito's hair.

Apollon concentrated as hard as he could as a soft golden light emitted from his hands. He hopes at least this will work.

"Ugh!"

His concentration breaks all of a sudden when he felt a sharp pain going through his head. Thinking nothing of it, Apollon tried to use his healing powers again, but the head pains seemed getting more and more intense the more he tried to strain himself. Apollon suddenly felt something warm and metallic-tasting dripping from his nose. He stops for a moment to wipe it off before staring at his hand in horror when he realized what it was.

"What the...? Why is this happening?"

This can't be from just trying to heal someone. It's never happened before, so Apollon was really confused...

Until he remembers the pesky peridot ring sealing most of his powers and keeping him trapped here. "How much are you going to make me suffer here, Zeus? You won't even let me heal my friend..." Apollon shook his head. No, he won't let his so-called father get the best of him. He has to keep going.

He continues healing Tsukito as much as he could, trying to ignore the severe dizziness and the blood dripping down his chin and onto the white sheets. As much as he'd like to think it didn't bother him, he just couldn't handle it anymore and finally decided to call it quits. This is all he could do.

"Sorry, Tsuki-Tsuki...I can't...anymore..." Apollon panted heavily, trying to catch his breath, "It's pathetic, isn't it? I can't even do something this simple for you...I...I don't know what to do anymore..."

* * *

The nurse was screaming the next morning when she found Tsukito out of bed with all his bandages off. She was astonished that the third-degree burn wounds that should've taken weeks to get better were mostly healed. Tsukito assured her repeatedly that he was completely fine and didn't feel any pain. It was a bit confusing for him too. Even if his shackle is broken, he's still a human here and as far as he knew, human bodies don't recover from severe burns like that overnight.

After making sure he was completely recovered, the nurse had no choice but to send Tsukito on his way. He may have earned the right to graduate, but he still cannot afford to miss class, let alone be late.

He heads back to the dorm first to change into his uniform. He was thankful for Takeru keeping a spare one around, since his other one was pretty much burned to nothing. Tsukito went about his morning routine as usual. The others seemed to have left for class already, so it was just him at the dorm. Looks like Tsukito is going to be late after all, much to his chagrin.

He was just about to leave his room for class, until he passes by a mirror that hung on the wall by the door. Come to think of it, he never really got to know how much damage he took from Apollon.

Looking into the mirror, the first thing Tsukito notices is this huge burn scar that took up nearly half of his face. "This is going to draw some attention, isn't it?" He muttered to himself. There were probably even more, even worse scars under his clothes, it couldn't be helped now.

Tsukito tried to sneak into class as quietly as possible, hoping that Thoth wouldn't notice him coming in late. It was going well until Takeru noticed his entrance, "Anii!" The sea god jumped up from his desk.

Thoth turned around from the blackboard, glaring at Takeru, "Hey, if you have the nerve to interrupt my class, then leave."

Takeru slowly sat back down, "Sorry..."

Thoth turns his attention to Tsukito, "You're late, Imbecile."

"I apologize." Tsukito said, "I was in the infirmary all morning."

"Just shut up and take a seat."

He expected a full tongue lashing from the Egyptian god, but that went better than expected. Without another word, he makes his way over to his desk and sat down. He could feel all the stares of all his classmates. Some shocked, some pitying. But as for Yui and the rest of the gods, they were just bewildered.

He couldn't help but notice that Apollon's desk was empty.

* * *

As soon as class ended, everyone gathered at around his desk.

"Are you sure you should be here, Tsukito?" Hades asked, "Shouldn't you be recovering?"

"I have felt perfectly fine since this morning." Tsukito replied, "Please do not worry too much about me."

"I'm so glad to see you're okay Tsukito-san" Yui said, "But still...you were so badly burnt yesterday. How did you get better so fast?"

"It must've been Apollon..." Hades said, "That's the only explanation I can think of."

Dionysus pat Tsukito on the back, "He feels really bad about all this, huh? He's trying to make it up to you."

"Speaking of...where is he?"

"He refused to come out of his room this morning. So he's probably still there." Hades said, "I tried to talk him out, but we should probably give him a few days. This probably hard on him, too."

* * *

It's been a few days. Apollon still hadn't shown up to class...or anywhere at all, really. The others had tried to coax him out, with no success. They all eventually decided that Tsukito was the one he needed to talk to.

Tsukito stood in front of the door to Apollon's room, "Apollon Agana Belea, are you in there?"

"No Uncle, I am not coming out." Said a muffled voice from behind the door.

"No...it's me..."

"...Tsuki-Tsuki?"

"Yes." Tsukito replied, "May I come in?" He tried jiggling the doorknob, only to find it locked.

"No."

"May I ask why?"

"It's safer this way." Apollon answered, "I can't hurt anybody while I'm in here."

"But you still need to graduate. You can't do that from in there."

"Then graduate without me. Zeus will just erase my memories anyway. I don't care anymore."

"But I do." Tsukito said, "We're all waiting for you to return, so please come back to class."

"I didn't ask you to care. Just go away."

The moon god let out a sigh of exasperation, "You're being childish."

"Stop doing that."

"Stop what?"

"Stop acting like nothing happened."

Tsukito sat down by the door, as it seems Apollon's not going to open it anytime soon, "That wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was!" There was a bang on the door, which caught Tsukito by surprise a little, "I almost killed you. Why do you still want to be anywhere near me?"

"It was an accident, wasn't it?" Tsukito was starting to get irritated with the sun god's stubbornness, but he had to be patient with him. It's the least he could do. "You even tried to heal me, is that correct?"

"But I couldn't even do that properly. I think things would be easier for the both of us if you'd just hate me like you should."

"...Do you want me to?" Tsukito asked, "You know I can't do that."

There was a long moment of silence, "...Tsuki-Tsuki, can I ask you something?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you reach out to me? You knew you would get hurt...so why?"

"I wasn't really thinking about what would happen to me. I had to help you before you destroyed yourself along with everything else...unless..." Then it dawned on him, "...Apollon, you weren't planning to...please tell me you weren't..."

"You...called me by my name, finally."

"Answer my question." Tsukito says sternly.

"No! No no no no, that wasn't what I was thinking...but to be honest, even if I did, I probably wouldn't have minded it...I mean, what's the point anymore? No one ever needed me...they all just wanted to make use of my powers." Apollon laughed bitterly, "All this time, I tried so hard to make myself useful to everybody, but in the end, they all rejected me and left as soon as they got what they wanted. I...I just wanted someone to love me for me, is that too much to ask?"

"No, it's not." Tsukito said, "But I want you to know, this entire year, you could barely use your ablilities. We all got to know you as a person, not as a god. We all care about you. I care about you."

"I know. You proved that even if I don't deserve it." Apollon's voice cracks, as if he's about to cry, "Yet I hurt you..."

"So can I come in now?"

Apollon doesn't respond for a long time.

Tsukito sighed, "Alright, I'll leave then."

* * *

Apollon finally decides to leave his room hours later, but when he opened the door, he finds Tsukito curled up in a fetal position beside it. He could hear the moon god snoring softly. So he never left after all...

He reached for Tsukito tentatively, like he was still afraid to touch him. He finally rested his hand on his head, petting his hair gently.

"What are you doing sleeping in place like this, Tsuki-Tsuki?"

Ever so carefully, Apollon lifted the sleeping moon god off of the ground and into his room.

* * *

When Tsukito woke up, the first thing he notices that he wasn't in the hallway anymore. and the bed he is sitting up in now was not his.

"Ah...you've finally woken up?"

Tsukito sees Apollon sitting in a chair beside the bed. This is the first time he's seen him in days. Apollon was sickeningly pale and his eyes were red and bloodshot, like he had been crying, but even so, he's still smiling, "You look terrible..."

Apollon forces a laugh, "Your honesty is appreciated, Tsuki-Tsuki."

"Are you okay?" Tsukito asked.

"I should be asking you that, I mean..." Apollon reached for Tsukito's face, fingers tracing the scar there, "I really did a number on you, huh? Does it hurt?"

Tsukito just shook his head.

"Let me see."

"Excuse me?"

Apollon's hands tug at the collar of Tsukito's uniform, "Let me see what I did...is that okay?"

"Very well..." Tsukito stood up from the bed and began taking off his shirt.

Apollon mentally prepared himself with every button Tsukito undid. But all that went to nothing when Tsukito threw his shirt carelessly onto the bed.

"Oh...no..." Apollon gasps, trying his best to hold back tears, "No...no...no...no..."

It was a lot worse than he imagined. Burn scars marred Tsukito's entire right arm and both his shoulders. His back seemed to have gotten the most damage as it was almost completely covered in scars.

"I'm...so...so...sorry..." Apollon could barely utter coherent words as he burst into tears, "Sorry...sorry..."

Tsukito reached for Apollon and pulled him into his arms, "I know...it's okay..."

"What do you mean it's okay?! These are never going away!"

"I don't care about that!" Tsukito yells, taking Apollon by surprise, "What matters to me now...is you."

"Why...after what I did to you, why are you still being so nice to me?"

"I love you. Did you forget already?" Tsukito said, "I know you're still sad about Cassandra, I know you really loved her and I'm sorry it had to turn out the way it did." He reached for Apollon's face to wipe up his tears, "But I just want you to trust people again. I want you to trust me again."

Apollon stared into Tsukito's amber eyes for a moment. He remembers when they first came here, they were always so dull and devoid of any emotion, but now he sees tenderness and compassion in them. Tsukito has come a long way. Maybe...he could do the same too.

Apollon sighed, "Mmm okay, I guess I'll come back to class and...keep trying to graduate."

Tsukito smiled, which made Apollon's heart begin to flutter. Tsukito's smiles were rare, but when he does, Apollon thinks it's the most beautiful thing. "Hey, Tsuki-Tsuki, can I tell you something? Something...important."

"Yes? I'm listening."

"I...I think I might be in love with you...I don't know when it happened, but I was so confused. The real reason I quit the student council because I didn't want to get too close to you because I decided the one I loved was Cassandra. I was clinging to her so desperately, but I guess I should've been honest with my feelings a long time ago. " Apollon confessed, "Not only I almost burned you to death, but I practically ignored your feelings too. I hurt you so much. I'm so sorry..."

"It's alright, I can't force you to feel the same way I feel about you, but..." Tsukito nuzzled his face into Apollon's shoulder, "You have no idea how happy I am right now..."

"Is it...okay if I kiss you?" Apollon asked.

Tsukito couldn't help but laugh, "Of course."

Apollon caressed Tsukito's face in his hands before pulling him in for a kiss. Apollon was a little hesitent at first. He didn't know why he was so nervous. It wasn't like this was the first time he kissed someone, let alone with another man. But there was something about kissing Tsukito...something about the way their lips melded together...it just felt so right.

The two of them were just so caught up in the moment, what was meant to be a sweet little kiss wound up becoming more heated and intense. It wasn't long before they were just full on making out passionately.

Until Apollon suddenly pulled away.

"Why did you stop?" Tsukito asked

"I...think I got a little carried away. I was about lose control there for a second." Apollon's face flushed a faint red.

"What if I told you that I want you to?"

Apollon just stared at Tsukito, completely dumbfounded by how bluntly he said that, "What?"

"You don't want to?"

"No no, I do, but I literally just confessed my love to you, I really don't want to rush into things, especially if you're not ready..."

"The only one who gets to decide that is me...and I want to."

"Are you really okay with this, Tsuki-Tsuki?"

"Yes..." Tsukito confirmed before leaning in for another quick kiss, "...because it's you."

"Alright, if that's what you want." Apollon whispered, "Who am I to refuse you?"

Apollon kissed Tsukito once more. Acting purely on impulse, he let his fingers gently caress Tsukito's skin. The moon god let out a small gasp which was stifled by Apollon's lips. Feeling a little more confident, Apollon began kissing along Tsukito's jawline and down his neck, leaving red bruises in his wake. The moon god seemed to be liking it, going from his reactions.

Apollon stops for a moment, "You've...never done this before, have you?"

Tsukito just shook his head no.

"It's alright, leave everything to me, okay?" He leans closer until he's right up next to Tsukito's ear, "I'll be gentle, I promise."

Tsukito noticed Apollon's voice sounded very different when he said that. It was deeper and huskier than usual. It's almost like...Apollon was a completely different person.

"Is it okay if I take everything else off?" Apollon asked.

"Mmm, go ahead."

When Apollon goes down to undo Tsukito's pants, he noticed the half-hard bulge already beginning to form, "Wow, I barely did anything and you're already this hard?"

Apollon pulled off what was left of Tsukito's clothes in one go and carelessly tossed them aside. Tsukito shuddered as he was suddenly completely exposed to the cold air in the room. He could feel goosebumps prickling his skin, but he wasn't sure if it was from the cold or something else.

"You're...still clothed." Tsukito tugged at Apollon's shirt.

"If it bothers you so much, why don't you fix that?" Apollon says in a vaguely teasing tone.

Tsukito wastes no time in removing Apollon's clothes. He decides that fumbling with the buttons on Apollon's shirt required too much time and effort, so he resorts to just ripping it open and the buttons popped off, clattering onto the ground. Apollon, however, couldn't bring himself to care. It wasn't long before Apollon was completely stripped of everything else.

Tsukito's breath hitched when he felt Apollon's hands on him. His fingers mapped out every inch of his chest and abdomen, feeling the moon god shiver under his touch. When Apollon's fingers reached Tsukito's scars, he was a bit more hesitant to touch them.

Tsukito, sensing this hesitation, reached up to caress Apollon's face, "It's okay...they don't hurt..."

"I-I know, but..." Apollon leaned towards Tsukito to gently kiss the scar on his face, "I wish I can just kiss them better like this." He kept planting small kisses on his face before trailing down to kiss the scars on his shoulders, then along his arm, and finally his hand. "But even like this...you're so beautiful."

Tsukito smiled up at him before wrapping his arms around his neck to pull him into another heated kiss. Meanwhile, Apollon's hands trailed lower to reach for Tsukito's cock. As soon as he laid his fingers on it, he could feel it twitch in mild interest. He then continued to trace his fingers along the shaft before stopping to tease the tip, feeling it harden even more with just his touch. Tsukito gasped into the kiss as he felt Apollon rub his hard, throbbing cock against his, grinding his hips in a way that made Tsukito squirm underneath him. They pull away from the kiss, trying to catch their breaths.

Apollon took a moment to gaze upon Tsukito's face. It was extremely flushed bright red and his amber eyes were hazy with lust. He seemed completely submissive. It was hard for Apollon to believe Tsukito could get like this. "You're making such a cute face right now."

"This is your fault. You make me like this."

Apollon just give him this smug little grin before leaning down to nip at Tsukito's collarbone, making sure no area of skin there was left unmarked by him. Although, he tried to be a bit more gentle with where the burn scars were. Once he was satisfied with his handywork, his lips trailed down lower to Tsukito's chest. They lightly brushed against one of his nipples and Apollon could feel him jump just a bit.

"Does it feel good there?" Apollon asked, giving it another small lick. As expected, Tsukito let out a little moan in response. Satisfied with the reaction, Apollon went ahead and closed his lips around the little pink bud, alternating between licking it and gently sucking on it. Tsukito couldn't hold back a loud cry of pleasure from escaping his lips. The whole dorm could've probably heard him but at this point, he couldn't be bothered to care. His back arched off the bed as Apollon began to tease the other nipple with his fingers, pinching and tugging at it. Apollon's other hand gripped both of their cocks tightly, stroking them at a rapid, steady pace. With all this, Tsukito couldn't even think straight anymore. The one thing on his mind right now was Apollon.

Suddenly, Apollon stopped everything he was doing, making Tsukito let out a little whine of protest. "Hold on for a bit, okay?"

He reached for the nightstand beside the bed and frantically searched every drawer until he found what he needed, "Ah, there we go..." Tsukito saw Apollon pull out a small bottle out of his drawer. "Can you spread your legs? Can you do that for me?"

Tsukito nodded and spread his legs apart as wide as he could, just as Apollon asked him to. "Good, Tsuki-Tsuki." Apollon praised his lover, rewarding him with a gentle kiss in the forehead. "This might feel a bit uncomfortable for you, but just try to relax, okay?" Apollon dumped half the contents of the bottle into his hand, making sure to generously cover his fingers in lube. Tsukito's breath hitched when he felt Apollon's hand reach his entrance, slowly tracing the rim with his finger, "Is this okay?"

Tsukito struggled to form coherent words, "Y-yes...pl-please..."

Apollon then slowly slipped a finger inside of Tsukito. The moon god winced at the mild discomfort, but tried to relax like Apollon told him to.

"Are you okay?" Apollon whispered.

"Yes..." Tsukito waits a moment for the discomfort to subside, "I think...it's alright for you to continue."

"If you say so..."

Apollon began sliding his finger in and out of Tsukito at a very slow pace at first. He tried to be as careful as possible to not hurt him, but once Tsukito assured him he was fine, Apollon began to pick up the pace a bit. Eventually, Apollon eased in another finger and gave him a bit of time to adjust before moving his fingers again. He could hear Tsukito being reduced to a panting and moaning mess under him as his fingers rubbed against his inner walls and loosened him up enough for him to move on to the next thing.

Apollon slowly removed his fingers, much to Tsukito's chagrin. He then picked up the bottle of lube again and poured the remaining contents of it onto his cock, completely covering it in the slimy substance.

Apollon positioned himself so that the tip of his cock was just pressing at Tsukito's entrance, "Whenever you're ready."

Without missing a heartbeat, Tsukito responded with, "Go ahead. I'll be fine."

Apollon kissed Tsukito's face as he slowly pushed into him about half way. Tsukito let out a choked sob as he felt Apollon stretch him wide open. He didn't know what he was expecting, but he sure did not expect this to feel painful. But Apollon was patient with him and was more than willing to wait for Tsukito to get comfortable, no matter how long that took. Once Tsukito was completely adjusted, Apollon continued until he was completely inside him.

"Are you okay, Tsuki-Tsuki?" Apollon asked his lover, brushing his sweaty lilac hair out of his face. Tsukito must of been tired of being asked the same question over and over, but Apollon couldn't help but worry about him.

Tsukito nodded in response, "Please...m-move."

Apollon complied and began to move. Tsukito was just so tight around him, it was hard for Apollon to set a steady pace at first. After a while, Tsukito had relaxed enough to make it much easier for Apollon to thrust into him. Tsukito's breathing became more and more labored and uneven with every thrust of Apollon's cock inside of him. The feeling was overwhelming. It just felt...way too good.

Seeing Tsukito like this, along with the noises he was making, Apollon wasn't sure if he could hold himself back anymore. He quickened the pace of his thrusts, grinding his hips every so often. Apollon let out a sharp hiss when he felt Tsukito's fingernails rake at his back, leaving behind long, bloody scratches.

Tsukito suddenly felt Apollon hit a certain spot inside of him that made every nerve in his body feel like they were on fire. He threw his back onto the pillow and moaned very loudly from the intense pleasure he felt. Apollon made sure to hit that spot again and again, his thrusts becoming more and more erratic. With one hand, he reached down for Tsukito's cock, stroking it in time with his thrusts.

Just a few more thrusts was enough to send Tsukito over the edge and he suddenly felt something inside him snap. He let out a scream as he came, his entire body trembled violently through his orgasm. It wasn't long before he felt Apollon's cock pulse one last time before releasing deep inside of him.

Apollon let himself fall onto Tsukito's chest, feeling it rise and fall in time with his breathing. They were both panting and out of breath.

The first thing Apollon asks is: "How do you feel?"

"Exhausted...a bit sore...but mostly content." Tsukito answered, stroking Apollon's disheveled hair lovingly.

Apollon giggled and began leaving little kisses all over Tsukito's face. On his cheeks, on his eyelids, and on his forehead, "You did so well, Tsuki-Tsuki."

He carefully pulled out of Tsukito and laid on the bed next to him. Immediately, Tsukito let out a little yawn then inched closer to Apollon. It wasn't that hard for the sun god to get the message and he wrapped up Tsukito in his arms, pulling him to his chest. Tsukito let out a sigh as he snuggled even closer to Apollon, finding comfort in his warm embrace.

Tsukito fell asleep pretty quickly, despite the fact he's usually up at night gazing at the moon. His first time must have made him pretty exhausted. Apollon, however, was still awake watching his little moon god sleep. He couldn't sleep just yet. He had a lot to think about.

For once, he was actually glad that Zeus brought him to this academy. He would've never met all the wonderful friends he made here and...he would've never met Tsukito. A year ago, he would've never thought he'd fall for the quiet and reserved Japanese god of the moon.

He was so madly in love with Cassandra. At least, he thought he was. He desperately wanted her to be the one and it absolutely crushed him to learn that she'll inevitably reject him like so many others. Even now, it still did. He knows he can't change that now. Moving on from her was going to take a while.

But still, a small part of him, a very small part of him, felt like Tsukito might end up the same way. But when he thought about how desperate Tsukito was, how hard he was trying to save him, Apollon was certain about one thing:

This...this is what real love felt like.

* * *

"Tsuki-Tsuki, wake up! Wake up!"

Tsukito suddenly felt himself being violently shaken, "Hmm...what's wrong?" He looked up at Apollon with groggy eyes. He seemed to be back to his usual bubbly self again...even though he still looked like a corpse.

"Look, look!" Apollon proudly showed Tsukito his hand with a beaming smile. It took a few moments for Tsukito to wake up completely before he noticed exactly what was different.

The ring that was supposed to be there was gone.

"It's gone! My shackle really is gone!"

"Yes, I can see that." Tsukito chuckled at the sun god's excitement, "Congratulations."

"So that means I have all my powers back. I can probably heal you all the way now!"

"No."

"No? Why not?"

"I just don't want you to." Tsukito said, "I know it might be painful to see me like this and you might feel guilty about it, but if you ever doubt yourself or if you ever feel like you aren't loved, I want you to look at me and remember exactly why I risked my life to save you."

"Are...are you sure?" Apollon asked, "I mean, I don't mind, but knowing that you got those scars from me, I just can't help but think about what would happen...if I lost control like that again. I'm scared. I don't want to hurt anyone again, especially you."

"You won't. I won't let that happen. Ever." Tsukito pulled Apollon into a tight embrace, "I'll make sure you don't feel sad or lonely again. That is my new mission now."

"Tsuki-Tsuki..." Apollon wrapped his arms around the moon god's waist, holding him even tighter, "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

They stayed like that for a while. Apollon would gently caress Tsukito's burn scars, whispering sweet nothings into his ear. Tsukito let himself relax with Apollon's touch. Even though Apollon is still treating him like he's made of glass, there was just something oddly comforting about it. As much as Tsukito would like to stay like this though...

"We should probably get to class."

Apollon pouted, "Aww, but I've earned the right to graduate, is there really a point in me going anymore?"

"No, you promised me you'd come back to class. Besides, everyone misses you."

"Five more minutes, then?"

Tsukito sighed, "Fine."

Unfortunately, the five minutes didn't last as long as they wanted...

They heard Hades' voice as he opened the door and entered the room, "Apollon, we are seriously begging you, please come back to...oh..."

It wasn't long before Dionysus poked his head in, "OOOOOOOOHHH SHIIIIT! I KNEW IT! I FUCKING KNEW IT!"

"Dee-Dee, keep quiet. Everyone will hear you!" Apollon shushed his brother.

Dionysus' screaming seemed to have alerted the rest of the dorm, so too late for that.

"What's going on I heard screaming?" Takeru rushed into the room to be met with the sight of his older brother in bed with the god of the sun. He immediately turned on his heel and left the room as fast as he came in, "Nope."

Soon, Loki barged in with Balder in tow. The god of light didn't say anything as he stared with his mouth wide open in shock.

Meanwhile, Loki just gave them this smug, teasing look, "Heeeey~"

Hades, despite the fact that he has caught his nephew in a...compromising position, was the only mature one in this whole predicament. He shooed everyone out of the room, blushing furiously, "Okay, out! Everybody out, now! Leave them alone."

With that, the door slammed shut, leaving Apollon and Tsukito alone again. Tsukito was quite nonchalant about what just happened. Apollon on the other hand...

"Are you alright?" Tsukito asked.

Apollon hid his face into the sheets out of sheer embarrassment, "I no longer fear death..."

* * *

While the news of their newfound relationship went out very quickly, everyone was quite supportive of the two. When Apollon stepped into the classroom for the first time in days, it was like a breath of fresh air to him. Everything was so bright and lively again. Everything seemed back to normal for the most part.

What Apollon and Tsukito didn't take into account was graduation. They had only been together for a short time, only to be separated soon. As much as they didn't want to believe it, lamenting about it wouldn't do any good, so they tried to make the best of their time left in the miniature garden.

The graduation event wasn't as a happy event as it should've been. Sure, the gods have made so much progress in a year and they do want to go home, but because they have all become such close friends, it was almost painful to go back to their own realms.

But seeing how close everyone has gotten, Zeus decides to somehow create a link between Mount Olympus, Takamagahara, Asgard, and the human world so that they could come see each other as they please. Did Zeus decide to do this out of the goodness of his heart? Who knows? Regardless, they were more than happy with this new arrangement.

Tsukito was back to carrying out duty as usual, but this time Apollon would come to Takamagahara to accompany him. He tried to moon gaze with him several times but he always ends up falling asleep a few hours into the night. He is the sun god, after all.

Tonight was no different. Apollon was sleeping peacefully with his head in Tsukito's lap as the latter watched over the moon. Tsukito's fingers fidgeted with Apollon's long golden hair, which for some reason, did not seem to wake him up at all. That was great, though, because Tsukito thought Apollon's sleeping face was adorable.

But Tsukito couldn't relish in it for long. Suddenly Apollon began to stir, his eyebrows knitted in worry, "No...please...Tsuki...don't leave...I don't...want to be alone again...I'm sorry..."

Tsukito gently shook Apollon awake, calling out for him. Suddenly, Apollon jolted awake with a gasp, getting up so quickly that he accidently bumped his forehead on Tsukito's. Really hard.

"Oww oww oww..." Well, it seemed to wake him up completely now, "Oh my god, Tsuki-Tsuki, I'm so sorry!" Apollon didn't hesitate to kiss the swelling red spot on Tsukito's forehead, healing it instantly, "Are you okay? Are you?"

"You were talking in your sleep..." Tsukito said simply.

"Oh? Was I?" Apollon laughed sheepishly, "How embarrassing."

"Are you okay?"

Apollon just hugged Tsukito tightly, "I...I had a bad dream."

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"I'd rather not..." Apollon replied, burying his face into Tsukito's shoulder, "Can we just stay like this for a bit...?"

Tsukito stroked his hair comfortingly, "I'm not going to leave you alone. Never."

"I know..." That was all Apollon needed to hear. "I love you, Tsuki-Tsuki. Se agapó."

Tsukito may be the god of the moon, but to Apollon, he was the sun.

* * *

 **Over 9,500 words rest in fucking pieces, me**

 **I had this idea like, you know how the gods can still use some of their powers with the shackles on? But what if like, if they try to use them past their limits, they start getting severe head pains and nosebleeds? Like, a psychic nosebleed?**

 **It probably doesn't make sense in the context of the canon, but it was a fun idea to take some creative liberties with.**

 **I like to see my boys suffer OuO**


End file.
